By Mary Dezember
Author of stories and poetry as portals to possibilities.
I am so excited to share that, in addition to numerous insightful 5-Star customer/reader reviews for which I am so grateful, Wild Conviction is receiving accolades in editorial reviews!
The novel received fantastic reviews in recent days by three well-respected publications. These reviews strike me to silence in deep appreciation and awe, as they are awesome.
Early in February, Midwest Book Review published this review of Wild Conviction.
Critique from Suzie Housley for Midwest Book Review:
“Wild Conviction is a book that will transport you to a world of heated tensions and mesmerizing characters. From the first page, it will draw you into a world where reality and the supernatural intersect, and the past and present collide unexpectedly.
Mary Dezember's outstanding book tells the story of a spirited teenager in a captivating and inspiring way. With a signature writing style, Dezember expertly weaves together a tale of adventure, self-discovery, and personal growth that will have readers of all ages hooked from the very first page.”
Find the review with synopsis and critique on the MBR Bookwatch page below. Click on Suzie Housley’s Bookshelf, and scroll until you find the review of Wild Conviction:
https://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/feb_24.htm
On January 31, 2024, Reader Views published this review of Wild Conviction.
Critique excerpts from Kathy Stickles for Reader Views:
“I simply adore a historical fiction book that is accurate and interesting but, when combined with magnificent writing and incredible characters, the book becomes even more of a success. I can happily tell you that “Wild Conviction: Sixteen is Power” by Mary Dezember is just such a book and, in my opinion, a complete homerun for this author that will pull in both young adult and adult readers from the very first page…
“Wild Conviction” is an amazing story that has a little bit of everything readers enjoy…history, romance, suspense, very strong characters, and just a little bit of magic to pull it together. Mary Dezember put so much research into this book to make the period come alive for readers and to connect the past to today. It is well-written, very accurate, and mesmerizing; and it is one that you cannot put down once you begin…
Each character in the story, whether you like them or you do not, is extremely well-developed, and watching them change or grow is a treat. Twilight, even at the young age of 16, is an extremely strong and vocal protagonist that the reader cannot help but fall in love with…
There is absolutely nothing to say about this book that is not complimentary. “Wild Conviction” is a story that should not be missed by anyone. The story is one that shows each reader what life was truly like in the South at the very beginning of a horrible war and it shows life through the eyes of a character that will be remembered long after the book is finished. I cannot recommend it enough and truly hope to see another book by this amazing author very soon. 5 Stars!!!”
To read the full review by Kathy Stickles for Reader Views, click on the link below:
https://readerviewsarchives.wordpress.com/2024/01/31/wild-conviction-dezember/
On January 9, 2024, IndieReader posted this review of Wild Conviction:
“Author Mary Dezember brilliantly blends history with the dilemmas of the present day in WILD CONVICTION, an epic young adult story that examines a shameful time in American history. The thrilling plot will keep readers engaged and the mix of history, fantasy, magic, and love offer a little something for everyone. The protagonist, Twilight Wild Adams, is an endearing character that readers will find it easy to cheer for and the journey she undertakes illustrates the author’s superb character development abilities.”
A Finalist in the 2024 Feathered Quill Book Awards: Wild Conviction
I am thrilled that Wild Conviction is a finalist in the 2024 Feathered Quill Book Awards.
Click the link above to see the 2024 Feathered Quill Book Award page. Scroll down to the Teen category.
February is an important month for highlighting what I believe every day should do: honor and respect Black lives.
Page 1 of Wild Conviction
A note about reading ages for Wild Conviction:
Wild Conviction is a historical novel sprinkled with magical realism. It is suitable for and appeals to adult readers and young adult readers alike.
It is a reader cross-genre novel, meaning it is suitable and enjoy by both adult and young adult readers. It has both adult and young adult reader categories on Amazon.
The scope of this novel and the reading age range is for ages 14 and up.
Many readers and reviewers are saying that Wild Conviction enthralls adult readers as well as young adult readers.
February is also the month for honoring love.
Indulge in Love with Earth-Marked Like You, Poems by Mary Dezember (published by Sunstone Press).
While the “official” Valentine’s Day has passed, every day is Valentine’s Day when you read the poems in Earth-Marked Like You!
Praise for Earth-Marked Like You (from the endorsements inside the book)":
“…enormous in scope, technical skill and experiment, and surprise. An enormous achievement. Poems like ‘Skin Traveler’ are sudden master poems that surprise and please: ‘Your body is a map of everywhere I want to go./Yet I can see none of these places are on earth./With you, I become otherworldly,/a skin traveler. . .’
…Above all her precinct is love. With the variety of Sappho’s solitudes, sensualities, and ironic humor, she gives us her galaxies and moon, in movement like everything on earth, before her observing and transforming eye. Read her and be transformed.”
— Willis Barnstone, author of Life Watch and The Restored New Testament
Make it stand out
“Mary Dezember’s poems evoke a soul-searching reminiscent of that experienced when reading John Berryman or Walt Whitman, as she puts her private wants in public view. While many poets shy away from the word ‘soul,’ Dezember uses this word in almost every poem in Earth-Marked Like You. Dezember’s work and artistry are defined by her search for soul and her use of poems to speak on her soul’s behalf. The result is edgy, raw, and sensual . . .Despite her losses, Dezember remains an optimist, testing her theory about the existence of soul-love again and again. Earth-Marked Like You is Dezember’s manifesto—that we are all connected beyond our fleshy restraints.”
— Alice Osborn, critic, from the review in The Pedestal Magazine
With a voice both sensual and spiritual, the poetry of Earth-Marked Like You presents the body as a temporal and spatial expression of the soul. These poems suggest that our passion as human beings is to transcend our ordinary lives so we can feel the excitement of the life force and that we use our bodies in our attempts to do this. A quest for the integration of human intellect, physicality and spirituality, this collection explores love, risk and faith. While we are on Earth, we are human, souls with bodies, spiritual yet Earth-marked.
— from the back cover of Earth-Marked Like You, Sunstone Press
Find out more about Earth-Marked Like You with ordering information on the link below:
https://www.marydezember.com/poetry
Copyright © 2024 Mary Dezember
Dezember, LLC